Interstate 475 (Georgia)
Interstate 475 (I-475) is a 15.83-mile-long (25.48 km) auxiliary Interstate highway in Georgia, splitting off from I-75/GA 540 and bypassing Macon. It is also unsigned State Route 408 (GA 408). This is the preferred route for through traffic, as I-75 enters downtown Macon and reduces to four lanes (two in either direction; undergoing widening), and has a 60-mile-per-hour (97 km/h) speed limit, in addition to the highway interchange with I-16. Route description I-475 carries six lanes (three in each direction) throughout its entire route (expanding to eight lanes at both junctions with I-75), except at its northernmost terminus with I-75 near Bolingbroke, where it briefly reduces to four lanes. The road has also been equipped with traffic cameras, which are a part of the Georgia Navigator system that has been extended via fiber optics all the way from metro Atlanta, nearly 100 miles (160 km) to the north-northwest. I-475 starts north from I-75/GA 540 just southwest of Macon. The southern terminus of I-475, with GA 540, is part of the Fall Line Freeway, which is Future I-14, which is currently located entirely in Texas. Exit 1 is Hartley Bridge Road, with the southbound ramp from I-475 going to Hartley Bridge Road and the northbound ramp from Hartley Bridge Road going to I-475, with I-75 between the two ramps. Exit 3 is US 80/GA 22 (Eisenhower Parkway). Exit 5 is GA 74 (Thomaston Road / Mercer University Drive). Exit 7 is US 88 (Macon Highway). Exit 9 is Zebulon Road. Exit 15 is US 41/GA 19 (Rivoli Road / Dixie Highway), which leads to the town of Bolingbroke just to the east. For a few feet, I-475 ends at I-75. History Built in stages between 1965 and 1967, I-475 was originally built with two lanes in each direction, and a wide median with forest, mostly of sweetgum trees. When the one lane was added in each direction, every bit of the median was paved, with a full-lane-wide shoulder in both directions instead of the normal very narrow ones, and a Jersey barrier, rather than leaving or replanting any trees or other landscaping or native vegetation. In 1965, the entire length of the highway was under construction. In 1967, the entire highway opened. At that time, I-75 going into Macon was not yet complete. The Bibb County Commission named the highway in honor of former Commission Chairman Larry Justice, who retired in 2000. I-475 is named the Larry Justice Highway. Gallery Georgia I-75 Northbound to I-475.jpg|I-75 northbound sign at Hartley Bridge Road for I-475 north in Macon. I-475 NB end at I-75 between MM 178 & 179.jpg|I-475 northbound end at I-75 between Mile Marker 178 & 179. Exit list See also * Interstate 75 in Georgia * Interstate 16 * U.S. Route 88 * U.S. Route 80 in Georgia * U.S. Route 41 in Georgia * Georgia State Route 19 * Georgia State Route 22 * Georgia State Route 74 * Georgia State Route 540 * Fall Line Freeway Category:Interstate 475 (Georgia) Category:Interstate Highways Category:Highways and roads Category:Auxiliary Interstate Highways Category:Interstate Highways in Georgia Category:Interstate 75 Category:Bypasses Category:Macon, Georgia Category:Expressways in Georgia Category:Highways numbered 475